‘Don’t stop. I like it.’
‘You haven’t even turned on the TV. What are you doing down there? Sorry, that was rude. I’m a rude, rude landlady.’
I feel his low laugh vibrating against my palm. We’re walking like we’re a couple, and I feel oddly safe. I’m surprised by how much I’m allowing myself to enjoy this simple contact without spinning out, but then, I have sunk a quarter of my weight in fizz.
‘I’ve been doing a lot of reading since I’ve been here,’ he confides. ‘I don’t know why, but I haven’t really felt like watching TV.’
‘You don’t listen to music or the radio either.’
‘I listen to you playing the piano.’
‘Sorry, the sound really carries, doesn’t it? But I’m not playing it that much.’
‘No, you’re not,’ he agrees.
‘And usually my guests are out of the house a lot more.’
‘I’ve gone out for loads of walks!’ he protests.
‘Did you take lessons?’ I ask with a smile up at him.
He nods down at me. ‘You?’
‘Yep.’
‘Grade eight?’
‘How did you know? Where didyouget to?’
‘Same.’
‘Oh my God, we have so much in common!’
I feel his low laugh against my palm again, but it’s true, we do.
Finn and I also had playing the piano in common, and Finn used to draw when he was at school. I wonder if I’m attracted to Tom because of his similarities to Finn or if it’s his differences that I like.
I’m too drunk to go down that particular rabbit hole. I’m not sure I’ll ever be sober enough, actually.
‘Why have you stopped drawing on the beach?’ I ask out of the blue.
We walk a few more paces before he answers. ‘It was easier when it was anonymous. A bit like you playing the piano when you thought no one was listening.’
My face falls. ‘I can’t believe I ruined sand art for you.’
He glances down at me with a smile.
‘Please don’t stop drawing on the sand because of me,’ I beg. ‘If you want a more secluded beach where fewer people are likely to watch, you could walk along the cliff to Trevellas Cove.’
The beach is a bit pebbly, but there’s more than enough sand to create something meaningful, if not a forest on the scale of his last one.
‘Maybe I’ll go in the morning if the rain holds off.’
‘Can I come and watch you at work?’ I ask eagerly.
He throws his head back and laughs and it’s as though someone has upended another bottle of Prosecco directly into my stomach.
I love the sound of his laugh, and his smile is glorious. Lovely lips and nice teeth: straight and white but not completely uniform.
